Favoured at home at the sportsbooks in their respective conference championship games this weekend, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks also remain the top two favourites to win the Super Bowl in three weeks.
Updated after the divisional round of the playoffs over the weekend, the Seahawks sit as the plus-190 favourites on the odds to win the Super Bowl at the sportsbooks while the Broncos are just a small step back at plus-210.
San Francisco (plus-300) and New England (plus-425) round out that list of Super Bowl futures.
And a Seahawks versus Broncos matchup in the Super Bowl is the plus-130 favourite on the NFL odds, followed by Niners versus Broncos at plus-275, and Seahawks versus Patriots at plus-325. The Niners and the Patriots are road underdogs in the conference championships this weekend, and a San Francisco versus New England Super Bowl matchup is the longshot on the list at plus-500.
As for this weekend, the conference championships get underway at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon with the Broncos hosting the Patriots in the 15th Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady matchup.
The oddsmakers have the Broncos listed as 4.5-point favourites with the game taking place at Sports Authority Field, while the over/under is pegged at 55 points.
Denver hasn’t beaten New England straight up or against the spread since 2009, with the Patriots winning each of their last four matchups including a 34-31 victory back in November as an underdog of two points at home.
That game was decided in overtime on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal, with Tom Brady throwing for 344 yards and three touchdowns. Peyton Manning was held to 150 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception in that loss.
At 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday the action then shifts to CenturyLink Field as the Seahawks host the Niners as 3.5-point home favourites with the over/under set at just 39 points for totals bettors.
Seattle covered in both of their games against San Francisco during the regular season – in their 29-3 win at home, and in their 19-17 loss on the road as well. The Seahawks have paid out on the NFL odds in each of their last five games against the Niners.
Next weekend the NFL offers up the Pro Bowl, and the winners of the Broncos/Patriots and Seahawks/Niners matchups will then meet in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2.